A Hallowed Tale
by Maia Sin Ryuu
Summary: Set after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows.Harry, Ron, and Hermione have one more adventure left before they can move on into the future.One man left to save.With a strang new friend to help them they might just succeed.Full Summary inside. SnapeOC
1. Summary

Though I don't own Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling holds that honor) this fanfic is dedicated to the world of Harry Potter, all of its characters and all of its life. Most importantly this is dedicated to Severus Snape… I can't let him die.

WARNING- MAJOR SPOILERS ARE IN THIS STORY

This story takes place directly after HP and the Deathly Hallows (before the Epilogue). So if you haven't read the book yet I would suggest you do it before reading this fanfic.

We now know how the story ends. Harry defeats Voldemort and gains possession of the three strongest magical items the wizarding world knows nothing about, save in fairy tales. But his victory came with severe losses: Tonks, Lupin, Fred, Dumbledore, and so many others. Muggle-born and Pure-blood alike suffered. However, in the midst of it all, none suffered so much as Severus Snape. In love with a woman who would never love him back, and cursed with the knowledge that he had spelled her death. He died, in the end, at the hand of the master that had never been his. Harry Potter lived his life (for all intents and appearances) freely and the Hallows never appeared again. However none knows, not even his darling wife, of the secret that he carries.

The Hallows were living things, something not even Dumbledore considered, and together they chose a new master. One that was there that night of the final battle. One that, unwittingly, brought with her the champions of the present into the past. Though how they got there or who this mysterious girl really is, is a mystery to Harry, Ron ,and Hermoine one thing remained certain: Together they would have to find a way to save the greatest man they never knew.

But how do you save a snape without changing the future forever?

A Severus/OC fanfic


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter- 1

_**Of Hallows and Mysteries**_

Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry seemed, in the dead of night, totally destroyed. How it would ever be repaired was beyond anyone's guess however it was a place of great wizards, of great losses and greater victories. It was a place of miracles in its own ways and, so, it was not beyond anyone to think that it would, someday, be as grand, if not grander, than it had ever been before. However that is not what was important. It is not what mattered. What mattered was that, while Harry Potter and his fellows slept peacefully in the crumbling castle, the three Hallows were nearer to each other than they had been in ages.

The wand, the stone, the cloak. The hallows that had , in their own way, proven to defeat death. Allies and servants of Harry Potter, the boy who lived. However this is not, wholly, true. Inside the tomb, clasped in the hands of its late master Dumbledore, the Elder wand pulsed with a magic all its own. The stone, abandoned on the floor of the forest twisted and then turned itself. Once, twice, three times. The cloak, draped over Harry's chair shone with a golden light.

As if by magic, and in a world full of magic this would have seemed totally impossible, three men appeared near the hallows. Their features cast in shadows. Each considered where they were, each had the faintest etches of a smile on their face. One looked down at a wonderful white tomb, one looked at the darkness of the Forbidden Forest, and one laid a gentle hand atop the sleeping head of the Boy who lived. Oh they knew his plan, and they knew it could not come into fruition. Not really. Not ever. However they could not abandon their master, could not leave him as he was. So incomplete and wracked with guilt. At the same time there was nothing they could do, nothing that would jeopardize everything. Even if they could do something it would not have the desired solution. No they were magical artifacts even in human guise. They could not heal a human, only another human could do that. When that though flittered through the three men's minds a picture formed. Someone they had all seen during the battle, someone totally over-looked and, perhaps, totally invisible to everyone. No one knew of her, no one would care. More important was that she was, in many ways, very much like Harry. Even more important was that she was not, necessarily, totally human at all. What she was none of them could say for sure. And enchantment surrounded her so strongly they suspected not even the defeated Dark Lord could have ever understood her. But they suspected. Oh yes they suspected.

It was a unanimous decision, and one that would be carried out this very night. Time, in this place, would not pass at all.. No one would know but, perhaps, they could serve their master and then, effortlessly, pass on to their chosen master. Of course that all depended on whether or not the man would accept. After all the Elder had killed him and knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the man was stubborn.

_Could one life really change anything?_ The stone thought.

_Yes._ The Elder said easily.

_This boy, alone, proves it_. The cloak agreed.

With this agreement they disappeared, back into the Hallows from whence they had come. But they did not rest there, no, they called out. Called out to the one part of the great wizard that held the Elder in death that stilled lived. A phoenix, appropriate when considering exactly what was going to happen.

---

Later in life they would all agree that Harry was the first to hear the song. They would say that he had, perhaps, been waiting for it. For when the first notes echoed through the castle he was the first to wake up. Bolting into a sitting position and almost sending Ginny crashing to the floor. He had caught her in time and she was, thankfully, too exhausted to wake up. For a few minutes Harry heard nothing, saw nothing, smelled nothing, and felt nothing other than Ginny. How and when she had come into his bed he didn't know but she was there. She had come to comfort him, and herself as well. She was soft and warm, her breath coming in a steady rhythm. Her red hair, matted and dirty, shone like a fire and her lips were slightly parted, as if waiting for his kiss. He wondered what would happen if he kissed her, and he fought that urge because she might wake. Because he knew she was tired. Then the reasons why he had jolted out of sleep broke the spell.

Voldemort was dead, the war was over. Still he felt no happiness. He didn't feel at peace. Maybe it was because of everyone who had died. Maybe it was because he knew exactly what Voldemort now was, a scarred and dying child choking on hate and left to suffer forever alone. Or it could be the voice of the man he had hated more than even Voldemort. The man that had done the impossible and saved him, perhaps even loved him, more than Dumbledore, his parents, and even Sirius ever could have.

_"Look…at…me"_ he had said. And Harry had. What he had found was a boy, scarred and alone, fighting a battle Harry knew very well. A battle to save the people, or person, he loved. And he had done everything for that, had done the one thing Harry had barely avoided: died. A wretched sob caught in his throat and tears welled in his eyes, but before the sobbing could begin he realized that another sound was there. Music the likes he had heard many times before. Jumping to his feet he, unconsciously, grabbed the Invisibility cloak and ran, the cloak clutched in his hand.

The magic of Hogwarts had been weakened, but in no means destroyed. The school was still a wonderful maze, though now covered in blood and crumbling stones. They had removed all the bodies earlier that day and buried them all next to the white tomb that belong to the only true headmaster the school would ever have. But Harry wasn't thinking about that right now, he was so focused on the song that he barely registered Hermione and Ron, hand in hand, moving beside him. He knew that they all looked somewhat dazed but he also knew that they were too busy trying to get to the song to care. It shouldn't have surprised him that the song was coming from the headmaster's office. Shouldn't have surprised him that the gargoyles had already moved to allow them entrance. And it didn't. What surprised him was that, the moment the three of them stumbled into the room, the phoenix, no doubt Fawkes, was singing while perched on the arm of a girl, no older than 18. A girl none of them knew.

Instinct ruled Harry's mind and he brandished his wand, beside him Ron and Hermoine did the same. Fawkes stopped singing and the girl, apparently unaware of their presence, placed a gentle hand on the bird and cooed softly to him. She seemed to be calming him. For the space of a moment her face radiated with kindness and innocence, power pulsed from her in undiluted waves and yet it was not harmful. Nor was it threatening, it was a soothing kind of power. But when she turned and caught sight of them she changed, gone was the kindness and the power. In its place was cold and unfeeling eyes. She seemed wary and untrusting, aloft and alone, secretive and guarding. Without a word she placed Fawkes on his stand and stood in front of the phoenix, no wand in sight, but obviously intent on protecting the beautiful bird.

Harry, Ron, and even Hermoine were at a loss of what to do. Attacking her wasn't wise, as they didn't know who she was. But they couldn't just dismiss her either. Instead each of them took the time to study her. She was lean, slender, and attractively muscled, but filled with womanly curves. Her shirt, black as night and unevenly cut an inch shy of indecent, stretched across her bosom. She wore muggle jeans low on her hips, ripped and tattered, with chains of various sizes and weights attached to them. Two arches visible above the jeans showed that she was wearing black lingerie but this was almost covered by the two studded belts, crisscrossing in the front and back, around her waist and hips. She was barefoot and Harry could just barely note that her feet were wrapped in red-stained bandages. Her hair was cut short but was a chocolate brown, filled with red highlights. Her skin was an obvious natural tan, so much it almost seemed golden. Peeking out on the side of her stomach was, what looked like, a white tiger. The tiger, and Harry was sure he had imagined it, blinked and its head drew back in a warning growl. On the opposite side a black wolf raised its eyes to Ron, whose mouth opened in shock, and slashed at the boy. The girl turned just enough for Hermoine to see the flittering of a black angels wing on her back, and to catch a glimpse of eyes as red as blood.

The girl had full, almost rosy, lips. Her eyes so dark they could only be called black save for the barest splash of amber in their depths. Her face was marred with a scar that cut across the right side of her face, it could have been from either a spell gone awry or a knife. It was only after noticing the scar on her face that Harry began to notice other scars, small and slightly paler than the rest of her flesh. On her lower stomach long, jagged, scars stretched from some point on her back. Scars that the white tiger jumped, gingerly, over.

At last, and expectedly, one of them spoke. It was, of course, Hermoine.

"Who are you?" Her voice sounded calm and steady. Harry had to applaud her for her nerves of steel.

------

The bird, Fawkes, had led her here. She understood that but did not want to think of the things that took place before this moment. Because the bird was singing now, its song a sweet melody. A calming tonic she couldn't help but drink. The bird's song always brought to mind eyes as dark as night, alone and pleading. But that was all she ever saw of the man she had never met. Fawkes had sung his song for so long that she knew something was wrong. So intent she had been on making the phoenix feel better she had failed to hear anyone arrive. Which, of course, had led her to her current predicament. Three wands in her face and no way out. She fought back the urge to scowl as she placed Fawkes on a perch and stood in front of him protectively. Two boys and a girl; one with untidy black hair and a lightning scar and green eyes, the other tall and lanky with hair like fire, the girl shorter than her companions with brown hair and intelligence gleaming from her equally brown eyes. They had come here and, instead of attacking her, had just stared at her. She could feel the tiger on her right and the wolf on the left twitch beneath their gazes. She felt the wings of the creature on her back flicker slightly before the girl spoke. She sounded tired and, against all judgment, she couldn't help but feel worry for the poor girl. She kept these emotions hidden, she was good at that. Very good.

"You first." She said slyly, knowing her voice would disturb them. It disturbed everyone.

---

Her voice was like ice and Harry couldn't imagine how something that, albeit guarded, was obviously filled with life could produce such a voice. It was a nice voice, sure, but it lacked emotion. It lacked any sign of warmth but, then, at the same time Harry admitted that it was a comforting voice. Familiar in a way he couldn't identify. He only knew he had heard it recently and, by the look on their faces, he knew Hermoine and Ron heard it too.

"My name is Harry."

"Ron."

"Hermoine."

They spoke in turn, braver in voice and stronger than they really felt.

Harry heard the girl sigh, soft and low, and knew, more than ever, that he had heard her voice somewhere before.

----------

She knew of them, knew their names. Hadn't the whole wizarding world heard of the Boy Who Lived. Soon to be the Boy Who Killed You-Know-Who. Ridiculous, she thought absently, calling that man by such a name. Voldemort would do nicely however she, secretly, preferred his true name. Tom Riddell had been, after all, a great, if evil, wizard. Sighing softly she considered them for a moment, there really was no point in hiding her name from them. They wouldn't know her. No one knew her.

"Name's Sin."

She could see, instantly, that they didn't believe her. But what could she do? It had been what her 'mother' had called her. It had been the only name she had ever known. Was it her true name? No, certainly not, but whatever her true name was she didn't know. Never had and, probably, never would.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here? And where did you get Fawkes?" Harry demanded and she scowled openly, Fawkes, on the other hand, cooed gently to her as she had done for him. She felt the flaming bird flutter to her shoulder and stay there, almost defiantly.

"Him." She said, nodding towards Fawkes. The answer would suffice for all their questions, especially considering that she didn't know most of the answers herself.

"He brought me here. He led me here. He let me find him." she clarified after a moment. And while Ron

and Hermoine stood looking at her suspiciously Harry was looking at Fawkes with mingled pain and regret. She heard a voice in her mind and knew, instinctively, who was thinking and feeling so hard she could hear it.

_Could Fawkes have saved him? Why did I hate him SO MUCH? Merlin I'm such an idiot! Why didn't you come back sooner? You could have saved him. YOU COULD HAVE SAVED HIM FAWKES!_

Sin bristled at this but, at the same time, she felt something inside of her tear. Looking around she noticed that, one by one, the portraits were waking. Most just looked at them with mingled suspicion and curiosity. However two of them stood out in her eyes. The first was of the wizard she knew to be Dumbledore, his had been the first chocolate frog card she had ever received. It was he that, she knew, owned Fawkes. He who she had read was buried in the white tomb. The second portrait was that of a dark haired man. His eyes black as night, the traces of a sneer on his face. Her eyes widened and, in that moment, the 'Golden Trio' all saw color leap into her eyes. A color between silver and gold, totally conquering the darkness. Before anyone could say anything, even Dumbledore's portrait (whose mouth was open and eyes were wide, ready to shout a warning), Fawkes exploded in a blaze of fire. Sin, instinctively, reached towards the fire. Intend on reaching the burning phoenix. Reacting by that same instinct Harry, Ron, and Hermoine lunged at her. To stop her and protect her. But when the three of them collided with Sin Harry could see a featherless baby bird clutched, protectively, in Sins hands.

He saw something else too. But it had to be his imagination because there was no way it could ever be possible. Because the thing he saw, before darkness stole over him, was three impossible things: A cloak, a wand, and a stone.

---

Sin felt the heat of the explosion and grabbed for Fawkes, she could not imagine the bird dead. It was instinct, because nothing else could have torn her gaze away from the black eyes that had haunted her life for as long as she could remember. When she had something in her hand, and she was ready to look again at the portrait, she felt the three others ram into her body. Her first thought was that they would get hurt in the fall so she forced herself to turn in the air, her body a protective barrier against the pain to come. She wanted to shut her eyes but they remained open. And in an instant she saw them, three men handing her something. She wanted to shake her head, to say she couldn't because if she did she would have to drop the others, but they had already disappeared. She felt different somehow, something warm had covered her body from head to foot, something small and hard had rammed into the hand that clutched the featherless phoenix. And a wand, warmer and more welcoming than anything else she had ever felt

-----------

All of them, all four of them, heard the voices. That was, in the end, the only thing that they had ever agreed upon about that night. The only thing that was clearer even then Fawkes rebirth or even Voldemorts demise. The voices spoke about different thing to each of them, left them different instructions to follow, but the one thing that was the same, for all of them, were seven barely audible words:

_You can save him. Save Severus Snape._


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-

_**Of past and presence**_

The first thing Sin noticed, other than the pain, was the bodies of the three who had collided against her lying on top of her, saved from most of the damage. Her bruised and battered body was proof enough of that. The second thing she noticed was that, wherever it was that they were, they were no longer in the crumbling headmasters office. No, if she was correct, they seemed to be in the corridor just in front of it. But the corridor was pristine, new, with no sign of any damage of any kind. Frowning and puzzled Sin placed the hand that held the wand against the floor, the stone cold and unyielding and thus making the wand bite into her palm. The other hand still held the featherless phoenix, gently but firmly.

With a barely audible groan she pulled herself from under the three others, who were already rising from unconsciousness. Stretching her body she felt the bones in her lower back and in her shoulder pop and crack. The pain a fleeting thing compared to the release that pain had given her. Struggling to her feet, dazed and unsure, she looked around. The phoenix in her hand cooed softly and nuzzled into her hand, while her other hand vibrated. It felt warm, but not burning, it felt as if wand and hand were one. However it was a strange thing. But before she could consider what the meaning of this wand meant she heard something, a scampering of footsteps. Eyes wide she moved to the three still on the ground.

"Get up. Move it." And though it was plain she was trying to help, her voice was still so very cold. Still dazed from the explosion Harry, Ron, and Hermoine were sluggish at best. She pulled them to her feet, stuffing her want deep into the last remaining pocket of her jeans. She turned to the gargoyles and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Cockroach Clusters!" Stupid, she knew, but noting else came to mind. Why that even came to mind she couldn't say, she hated those bloody things. However that seemed to do the trick and she found the gargoyles stepping to the side and the staircase rising. Pushing the three of them through the opening and onto the stairs she crammed herself in with them and continued pushing them upwards.

"Move it."

"Bloody hell woman stop that!" The red head cried when his nose met the hard wooden door in front of him.

"Uff." Hermoine muttered as she ran into him.

"Gah!" Harry's cry came directly after.

Sin rolled her eyes and pushed them forward. Miracle of miracles the door swung open and she propelled herself forward, flying over the tumbling teens and landing right under them, for the second time that day they feel on her body. Fawkes cried out angrily but she made sure to hold him gently, he had not been harmed. Just jostled a little. Groaning in pain, and from Ron shoving his elbow into her stomach, Sin tried to turn, to breath, but darkness was taking over again. However she did see something, another dream to be sure. Two blue eyes, clear as a summer day, looking at them over half-moon spectacles.

-------

Harry shook his head, heard a soft groan, and looked down. His landing had been, undeniably, soft but it was only now that he realized why. Somehow the girl, who he was absolutely sure had been behind them all, had thrown herself to the floor cushioning them. He saw her look up and then go limp. Panic rose in his heart and scrambled off of her.

"Ron, 'Moine get off!" Why he was so panicked he wasn't sure. But after all the death and all the pain and all the sorrow he couldn't bring himself to believe that someone else had gotten hurt. For any reason. That thought was too much to bear. Hermoine moved, quick as a cat, and rolled off of the girl. Jumping to her feet. Ron took the longest, still only half-conscious and, Harry noted, his nose was bleeding from banging it against the door earlier. Hermoine helped him to his feet and, while Harry had bent down to shake Sin awake, Hermoine gasped.

"Oley hell mate!" Ron cried out, making Harry look up into a face he had though he'd never see again.

"Dumbledore?"

The headmaster was looking at the four of them with mild concern and definite curiosity. His eyes twinkled slightly and Harry knew he was trying to understand what had just happened. He was GUESSING at what had just happened.

A soft sound brought his shocked self back to reality. The baby phoenix was twitching in Sins loose grip, freeing itself and half-hoping half-fluttering to her face. Harry could see the tears in its eyes and, as his mind tried to absorbed everything that had happened, he saw a few tears trickle into Sins mouth. Within seconds she was muttering gently. So gently he couldn't decipher her words. Her eyes cracked open, an innocence in them he had never seen before. And then, like some kind of jungle cat or wounded hippogriff, she jumped to her feet (reaching up and catching the tumbling Phoenix on her way), moving backwards until she met Dumbledore's desk.

"Perhaps you would all like to sit down and explain what you are all doing in my office and where you have come from." His voice was pleasant and kind, but it was obvious that his request was a command. He doubted anyone else would have noticed but Harry was one of the very few who knew Dumbledore. Through and through.

Sin turned and there was no mistaking the almost animalistic quality of fear in her eyes. It was like she was trapped without anywhere to go. Harry wondered if he should try to comfort her but he was too tired. Too shocked. Too…everything to do anything. And from Ron's hanging mouth and Hermione's almost glazed expression he knew neither of them could really comfort anyone either. Though he, absently, noted that the two of them were clutching each others hands like a life-line. He saw Sin look at them closely, and then something happened. A shift he couldn't understand but he could feel. By his friends slight twitched, even Dumbledore, he knew they felt it too.

----

She was unsure, something that didn't happen often. Worried, confused, and unsure. Not things she liked. Not things she could conquer on her own. Hitting the back of the desk, seeing someone she knew was dead. Someone who was much younger than when he had died, was shocking her senses. What had happened? How had it happened? Where were they? How did they get there? How could Dumbledore be sitting there, alive and well? These thoughts raced through her mind as she swirled around. She placed her hand against the wooden desk, the wood smooth and hard against her hand.

"We came from here." She answered smoothly, her amber splashed eyes boring into his twinkling blue ones. She saw kindness in them, she saw trust. She saw a pain so deep she wondered if even he knew about it. Shaking the thoughts from her mind she tilted her head, just slightly, to the right.

"We were here because the phoenix called us here. But here was crumbled and broken, after the battle there was no way Hogwarts would remain totally intact after all. We were there and you, headmaster, were dead. A year dead to be honest, and then the phoenix exploded. Someone was in my head and then here we were. Out in the corridor that I know should be broken and bloody and hurt just like the rest of the castle. Instead it was clean and neat and I heard someone coming so I pushed them up here. And here you are. Alive when you should be dead. Younger than you were by far when you died and I have to wonder WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"

Until the end she had been speaking calmly and softly. Not rushing or showing any indication that any of this bothered. At the end though she could not stand it, and she knew everyone else in the room understood that too.

Dumbledore, for his part, looked only slightly surprised. And even that was almost hidden in his twinkling blue eyes. With a tilt of his head and a small smile Dumbledore waved them all forward. When Sin turned to look at her companions they were already almost upon her. With a soft whisper she heard Hermoine say, "Don't tell him anything. Don't tell him who you are."

Ha! As if she could tell him anything. She didn't even know who she was. With a shake of her head she turned back to Dumbledore. But her time to speak was over, she understood that. Harry spoke now, as was his right. Her hand found its way back to the wand she had stuffed into her pocket, warmth spreading up her arm.

"What year is this headmaster?

"1977" The headmaster replied easily.

She noted Harry frowning and made a note to find out why later. She wouldn't ask, of course, if they wanted her to know something she would be told. However that didn't mean she couldn't find out by her own means. Sighing softly she allowed herself to lean forward and then she shook her head.

"Ok headmaster listen…We can't tell you who we are, not yet. You're going to have to trust that we don't mean you all any harm."

Dumbledore didn't look it but she knew he was skeptical. Knew he didn't really trust them at all, not yet. It was then that the little phoenix in her hand cooed gently, not afraid but imploring. And it wasn't cooing to her but to Dumbledore. Dumbledore did indeed seem surprised, he even held out his hand for the phoenix, but Fawkes would not go to him. He was dead, after all, his phoenix had passed on to another. Did Sin know this? No.. Did Ron or Harry know this? No. Hermoine and Dumbledore, however, definitely understood this. The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes faded slightly, turning into a question, but he seemed more than capable of controlling himself. It was strange for him to say so little but, even Sin who knew him not at all, understood his silence. Assessing, probing, trying to figure out this knew puzzle, guessing as to what this puzzle really was. Finally after what seemed an inordinate amount of time Dumbledore stood.

"The school term starts in a few days. I will arrange for you all to get the things you will need for your classes. Please stay here until I come and retrieve you."

And then the great wizard was gone, out the door and out of sight. With a soft, almost inaudible sigh, Sin plopped down on the ground. The other three battle worn wizards did the same.

"Well I guess that takes care of that eh mates?" Ron said, placing a hand around Hermoine and pulling her body against his for comfort. Hermoine almost seemed ready to argue but instead she cuddled into her boyfriends arms and nodded her head. Harry sat still watching Sin, and it made her highly uncomfortable. Shaking her head she looked at them directly, the amber splash in her eyes almost and ocean now.

"Look if the Headmaster can't get us money we can sell a few of these." She indicated the chains that nearly made up the entire half of her clothes.

"Each one is worth 1596 galleons." She didn't care to see their mouths open slightly with shock. Harry actually spluttered. However Hermoine, though shocked, seemed to keep on top of things, She looked at Sin for a moment and then nodded her head, what this was suppose to mean Sin had no idea.

"Look we can't tell anyone, ANYONE, the truth. We'll be transfer students from…from…"

"America." Sin supplied softly.

"Right America. And we can't do anything that might change the future. We just can't" She looked, Sin noted, right at Harry when she said this. Which, as far as Sin was concerned, meant keep an eye on him. However half of her attention was on the paintings in the room.

"He isn't here anymore." She whispered softly, but Hermoine caught it.

"Who?"

Sin sighed and looked at the place where she had seen the portrait.

"The man who was there. Longish hair, olive smooth skin, and eyes blacker than the night sky."

Hermoine frowned softly, as did Ron, but Harry didn't. Harry seemed to understand exactly who she was talking about. Harry had just realized that there was something they could change after all.

"Hermoine…Ron…I have to change something. Something has to be changed."

"What do you mean Harry? You know we can't mess with the past. We can't save anyone. Not James, not Lily, not even Sirius."

"And Severus?" Harry said, his voice cold and hard and determined. "What about him!? He didn't deserve that. We can stop that from happening." He stopped Hermoine before she could argue.

"I don't mean everything but, maybe, we can trick Voldemort. Maybe, if we warn him, Snape can find a way to change what happened. Make himself a potion. Something. Anything." Tears streamed down his face but his friends looked unsure. They would argue and fight. So he turned to the only person he could, though he didn't know why. He turned to Sin, pleading but her eyes were cold.

"The man in that portrait…Severus Snape?" She asked, unsure and unknowing. She had only ever known his face, his eyes and voice, She had never truly seen the man that haunted her dreams. Harry nodded. Sin smiled grimly and turned to the other two.

"I'm saving him. If he died I'm saving him. And if you try to stop me I'll kill you." There was enough truth in those words to send a shiver through all of their spines.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-

_**Of Gryffindors and Slytherins**_

Dumbledore had made good on his promise, allowing them private quarters to sleep in until the school term started. They would all be in 7th year. Harry, Ron, and Hermione understood this meant they would be with the marauders…and Snape. Sin, on the other hand, was not privy to such information. All she knew was that the man she had dreamed of her entire life was somewhere in the castle, it was all she needed to know.

The few teachers that knew of their arrival thought, like everyone else, that they were exchange students from America and had welcomed them graciously, if not sternly. Now, on the night they would be introduced to the students and sorted into their respective houses, three of them were dressed in proper wizarding attire. Sin, however, stubbornly transfigured all her clothes to suit her own tattered, but interesting, tastes. No robes, no hats, but she did take the shoes. She hadn't, after all, had any to begin with.

"Why don't you put the robe on?" Ron asked, for the thousandth time, only to be elbowed in the stomach by Hermione. None of the Trio trusted Sin and she didn't trust them. But they were stuck with each other and, so, they were dependant on each other. A fragile friendship had begun to bloom. It had been decided that they would have to find a way back to their time without altering the timeline now. They had all agreed… But Harry and Sin were in agreement. Snape was to be given a true chance at life. None of them wanted to think about what would happen if they failed, Sin had been too serious in her warnings.

There was another thing, too, that bothered them about Sin. At times, when she obviously did not want to be found (such as the times she was playing with Fawkes) she couldn't be found. It was like she was invisible to them and other such things had happened. But what worried them most was that, in their time, she had had no wand but, now, she had one that looked, to Harry, disturbingly familiar. How? He wasn't sure but he had to figure it out. Somehow.

But that could all happen later. For now they were trying, once last time, to get Sin to wear a proper robe.

"What will they say?" Hermione asked, easily finding the crux of the problem.

Sin offered the other girl a small smile, it was one that was usually used on Harry and then only because he was on her side with Snape.

"I will tell them that I was mostly home schooled, which is true, and that it is a requirement that I be who I am. That includes how I dress otherwise the conformity will destroy everything I was taught in a psychological level."

Hermione, to Ron and Harry's utter surprise, blinked. Not as a natural human reflex but because of shock. She even shook her head, clearing it. Then, to the boy's shock, she chuckled and smiled and offered her hand in peace. Sin looked down at that hand, unsure, but she could not say no to it. How could she? When they had no choice but to work as one. When she took it Hermione couldn't help but notice that her grip was like a child's tentative and nervous and scared, but hiding an underlying strength.

-----------------------

They had finally allowed that she would not be changing into a robe. When they moved to the back of the line of first years, they were met with wide eyes and curiosity. Sin really didn't care. She did, however, place a gentle hand on the top of the head of a little boy, ruffling his hair slightly and indicating to the door. The boy smiled gratefully and turned back around, ready to face the 'horror' of sorting.

When the children entered the great hall they waited behind the closing doors. Dumbledore had said that they would be summoned separately. It took an infinite mount of time, as far as Sin was concerned, and she snuck her hand down into a muggle bag strapped to her to pet the still young phoenix. Before the doors opened again she picked Fawkes, whom she had now named Blaze, onto her shoulder where the young phoenix cooed gently. The golden trio did not protest. It was a good sign.

Then the doors were opening and they could hear Dumbledore's voice booming over the distance.

"Now I would like to introduce you to our new transfer students. They come to us from America." He motioned them forward and Harry stepped through the door first. Everyone was watching, curiously, but his attention was focused on two different places. The first was where the marauders sat, James holding Lily's hand, and the second was at the obviously lonely and seething boy that sat alone at the Slytherin table. Then Ron and Hermione were pushing him forward, Sin bringing up the rear.

That she caused a commotion was an understatement. Everyone began muttering like crazy, the teachers frowned, Filch began moving as if to take her from the room, and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled so bright they could have been disco balls. However the four of them reached the sorting hat without conflict or challenge. None of them had yet to notice the phoenix which was, to Sin's relief, cuddling into the crook of her neck neither nervous nor frightened. She looked around, trying to find someone, the man from her dream, but she didn't know where to look. She could feel him though, eyes as dark as night focused on them all.

----------------------------

It was trying, listening to the same speeches year after year and welcoming new 'death eaters' into their folds. He would be joining soon but it was not for power. It was for respect. It was because not even Lily believed in him anymore. Snape sighed softly and shook his head while the last child was sorted. Into Gryffindor. They would think this a victory of some sort. It had never really occurred to him why they hated the Slytherins so much but he knew why he hated the Gryffindors. They were prejudice and 'courageous', which was just another word for stupid, and taxing and unrealistic. No slytherin would be caught dead with one of their ilk, but oh how he wished she would just look at him again. Like she use to, at the very least. But Lily Evans kept her eyes facing stubbornly forward. Snape had lost her and it was a loss that tore the very core of who he was.

When the last child sat down Snape was readying to ignore Dumbledore's babble but, then, something made him look up. An invisible lightning bolt that made every part of him energized and wary and hoping? Then Dumbledore announced transfer students. This was a first. Snape, like many others, found himself looking at the doors. The first person to step forward was James Potter, or what looked like James Potter. Snape felt himself snigger. Great. Could his life get anymore torturous?

The James-look-a-like turned to him and stared long and hard. Snape glared at him. Then he passed by, followed by two others. Then a girl walked through and Snape, like most other Slytherins, couldn't believe his eyes. The girl was dressed as a muggle with clothes that hinted of a body that rivaled more than one enchantress in the school. But her face was scarred, a strange scar that tickled his mind somehow. As she walked past his table he noticed something small, nearly featherless, but he understood what it was. Almost instantly. A Phoenix. They did not grant such trust easily.

He wasn't sure why he was fascinated by this girl but, when she turned around, he was startled by her eyes. When she had first walked in they had seemed nearly as dark as his own but now, as her eyes shifted across the students and landed only momentarily on his, they seemed almost golden. But it happened to fast for him to decide. His body was thrumming with something. His eyes narrowed on the girl, untrusting and with more than a little distrust.

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Sin should have felt nervous but it was an emotion she had never truly had the capacity to feel. She had been raised better than that, raised to trust and believe in herself because the likelihood of anyone every doing so was slim to none. Her head remained forward and confident, daring anyone to challenge her for any reason. Her hand, unconsciously, touched the wand at her side and it felt like warm fire raced up her hand and into her heart. It was a nice feeling.

Dumbledore, meanwhile, had moved from his podium and invited Hermione to sit down. With a careful movement he placed the sorting hat on her head. It spoke, almost instantly.

"Gryffindor!"

Hermione smiled and stood, removing the hat and returning it to Dumbledore. She did not, however, leave the group. She remained with them, her eyes intense and focused. Ron was next and his was the same, the hat yelling Gryffindor before it had fully settled on his head. Chuckling he stood beside Hermione, reaching down and holding her hand in his. They looked at each other apprehensively. They knew what was going to happen now. Harry sat down.

_Hmm interesting. You've got the makings of a great wizard but where to put you? Gryffindor? They will make you brave and strong. Or perhaps Slytherin. You will make your true friends there._

Harry almost chuckled but he knew where he needed to go. Where he had to go this time. And it didn't scare him as it had when he was a first year. No, this time he was happy. It would mean he'd have a better chance of saving Severus and protecting the future.

"SLYTHERIN!" The sorting hat called and, to everyone's surprise Harry jumped down gleefully and hugged his friends. Not in farewell but, rather, as someone who had just won the most fabulous prize. Then it was Sin's turn. She sat down and she heard the voice in her mind.

_Hmm enormous power here, young girl. Potential and control beyond any that have passed through these halls. Why is that I wonder? And where should you go? Any one house that has you will be too strong. You tip the balance here. Ravenclaw presents no challenge. Hufflepuff is too kind. Gryffindor has nothing to offer you. Slytherin is something you need not. But you belong here, yes, that is true. Where should you go? Where would you like to go?_

_I want to go nowhere. I am here in search of someone, to save a life. Perhaps more than one. The house I am matters not. After all…we share the same school. What does it matter what house you are in?_

_I agree. A very wise young woman, that is true. Well there is no place to put you, no place that is safe. So, then, let us place you somewhere that you can be with your companions. Where your mission can be fulfilled. _

_Thank you_

And the Sorting Hat called out, to the dead silence of the room,

"ALL HOUSES. NO HOUSES." And, whispering to her mind it finished its piece, _YOU ARE THE ONE_

The hush that fell across the great hall was such that one could hear the proverbial pin drop. Sin sighed softly and removed the hat, stopping to kiss its brim gently before handing it to the Headmaster. Blaze sung a soft melody in her ear and she offered bird her finger. In a sudden shock of flame the phoenix attempted a gentle flap of flaming wings but did not get far. That was fine, and the fire hurt too little for Sin to worry about it. When the blaze died down Blaze was almost four inches longer, covered in flaming

feathers. Dumbledore smiled softly and then turned to the students and faculty.

"I hope you will all welcome these new students into our school, indeed our home, with the utmost respect and generosity."

That he said nothing about the hat's, apparently obvious, confusion was only too much like Dumbledore. Hermione and Ron smiled at Sin, Ron's obviously forced, and moved over to the Gryffindor table. Harry took one long look after them and then at his parents. As if trying to decide if he had made the right choice, and then his gaze fell on someone in particular. Sin followed his gaze and felt a bolt of electricity go through her body. Sitting there, scowling darkly, was a boy about her age with eyes as dark as night. She almost went to him but Harry touched her arm and shook his head. She understood the silent message, offered him an understanding nod and watched as he made his way to the Slytherin table.

Sin turned and looked at Dumbledore before offering him a soft smile, an innocent smile that seemed to send his mind into a whirl of thoughts, before promptly exiting the Great Hall. Leaving the silence in her wake.

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Ron and Hermione moved directly to the marauders and, though they hadn't discussed what they were going to do precisely, Ron burst out, in such a Ron-like way that Hermione could not be mad at him, "Allo mate…You look like Harry. Of course he's in Slytherin now but I suppose, as we have every class with them we'll be able to see him just like always. I'm Ron by the way…This is Hermione. " Hermione smiled tightly and mentally shook her head. With a soft sigh she took Ron's hand and offered them a more sincere smile.

"Well time to go then right? I hope we see you all again." Her eyes seemed to be directed at Peter in a most hateful manner before she, and Ron, left the Great Hall after Sin.

"Blimey mate…" Peter said nervously.

"That." James stated softly, "was weird."

"That. Is an understatement." Sirius replied coolly.

"I agree." Lily Evans said, her green eyes clouded with worry.

"Me too." Remus agreed, his eyes tracking the retreating figure of both the two that had approached them and the newest Slytherin.

-------------

Meanwhile Snape had been staring at the spot where the girl had just been, confused and worried. Something was wrong, he could sense it deep within himself. It was something that made him perfect for Slytherin, his keen insight and logical mind. Another good thing was his ability to sense the presence of others when they were close. And the James look alike was about 20 feet too close for Snape's peace of mind.

"What?" He growled softly, reminding Harry of the man the boy would one day become.

"I just wanted to say thank you, sir, and that I will do my best. You deserve that."

And Harry knew it was stupid but part of him, some silly part of him, had decided that in the off chance that they couldn't save Snape that he would know how he felt. It was important, now, that Snape knew, wh

Snape had the strangest urge to go with them. But then the door closed and the rumors began.


End file.
